City Council - Regular Meeting

regarding the city budgeting for our library, parks and public recreational parks or areas, excuse me.

Okay. Okay, so typically the philosophy or priority around budgeting is gonna be set by the council and established in your adopted budget. If in an interim timeframe, there was a need to reevaluate that because circumstances were changing. I understand that keeping a very close eye on the general fund around libraries and parks and recreational amenities is important, but I would bring that back to the council and allow the council's policy and community input to drive that philosophy. I know that your strategic plan makes it very clear that having those types of amenities is core to your community. The city of Dayton wants people to enjoy their libraries, their parks, their public recreational areas. It's kind of foundational to who you are and it's what makes people want to live, work and play somewhere. So I would certainly be committed to, you know, making sure that those are being protected and taken care of. looking for ways to enhance resources for your library, finding any type of funding diversification options that would be appropriate in an interim role is something that I'd be certainly willing to do if that's something that the council was interested in. And just getting out there and actually being part of the community and going to the park, going to the library, going to the events, going to Friday nights, helps people understand that you're committed to those particular elements of a community, but the philosophy and the priority is yours. Thank you.

All right. Tell us about a time when you stepped into an organization during a period of change or instability. What were the key challenges and what did you do to stabilize operations?

OK. Well, I've stepped into a lot of organizations during periods of instability or institutional change, but I'm going to focus on one specific example. I think when you're walking into an organization that's lost leadership, I was walking into a large organization that had lost its executive And several key leaders had also just been through a major federal audit. So there was a lot of uncertainty. And when you walk into a space like that, it can feel very daunting. All the challenges seem to be key challenges. It's like drinking out of a firehouse. It's very hard to assess what the key challenges are in a situation like that. I learned from that specific experience, and I've kind of built on it over the years, that you have to triage. And part of that triage is really sitting down and kind of getting dispassionate and objective about what you can control. And I really try to do this with everything. I look at what are the institutional and structural challenges? What are the systems that are in place? financial systems, you know, procurement and, you know, are they compatible with the change? Are they compatible with movement? Then I have to look at organizational culture, kind of what we were just talking about, attitudes and morale, recruitment, retention, are we losing people? And then, you know, there are all those external forces like policies and funding streams and economic factors, and then sit down and build a plan based on what you can control and what you can influence. And once you build that plan and you implement it, you have to be willing to iterate. You have to be willing to fail. You have to be willing to say, you know what, this isn't working. This is not having the desired effect. I need to change course. I need to iterate. And that's been something that's worked for me over the course of my career since then. So that was back in 2006 when I was actually entering Berry University. So I've had to do that a lot since then, and it's a pretty good approach.

Thank you.

All right, on to the next one. When you enter a new organization as an intern executive, how do you identify which issues require immediate attention and which can wait for the next permanent city manager?

Well, that kind of goes back to that whole 30, 60, 90, 120 day work plan is there are the things that you can anticipate. There are the things that you can kind of map out and identify, okay, this is something I need to do on a daily basis, a weekly basis, a monthly basis. And then there are the unanticipated things that come up in communities and you have to use your best judgment about what requires your immediate focus. And if there's any ambiguity or uncertainty about that, I would immediately come to the council for guidance and direction. But we all know things come up, emergencies happen, and the immediacy of specific issues is something that has to be assessed periodically. And I would assume also that I would be getting pretty regular guidance from you all about that.

All right, thank you.

Okay, what unique strengths or experiences do you bring that will help our community navigate this transitional period?

Well, I think a unique experience, at least in the city manager arena, is I have a lot of hands-on frontline experience doing grants, grants management, appropriations, campaigns, recent experience on the ground doing civic engagement, grassroots work, I just learned this morning that actually one of the initiatives that I spearheaded at my job that I'm retiring from is being recognized nationally next month. It's a civic engagement, public education, now reach. I do a lot of work in the organizational development space and have for a long time. I think that that could be a value of morale and recruitment and retention is a concern for the council. From a strengths perspective, I'm a very adaptive person. I'm kind of change oriented. I love learning new things. I'm not afraid of change. In fact, I kind of love change. And so I think that's a strength in not just in the situation that you're in, but in our overall environment is just a willingness to be able to help people adapt to innovation and changing political priorities and policies and, you know, funding requirements and just navigating all of that from an institutional perspective. Thank you.

Okay.

Numbers, please. How do you view the role of an interim city manager in preparing the organization for a permanent city manager?

Well, I would say that in every instance, an interim city manager is preparing the permanent city manager for success. That's their primary objective is to make sure that that individual has what they need on day one to be successful. Ideally, in this particular situation, there would be some overlap. I think as Jeremy would like to do with the interim, certainly I think the interim would want to do with the permanent and make sure that there's some type of warm transfer of knowledge and information, especially if that person is not necessarily familiar with the community of Dayton, introduce them to individuals that are working on specific projects, make sure that you've done kind of that, again, that warm transfer with funders. I know specifically with your state grant and your federal grant, that might be necessary and providing a report, a status update and progress towards all of the goals and objectives and projects and priorities that have happened in the interim period.

Thank you.

All right. Well, we have a wrap up here. If appointed, what level of availability could you provide? How long would you be willing to serve? And are there any logistical considerations the council should understand when evaluating the overall cost and feasibility of your appointment. Examples may include relocation needs, temporary housing, transportation arrangements, or limitations on weekly work hours.

OK. So that was a long one. So I may have to ask you to repeat some of that. If I don't hit all of the issues, please feel free to interrupt me and guide me. I think, so the first thing is when would I be able to start? And I am available now. I would be willing to start whenever it's appropriate. I think in my conversations with Jeremy, he'd like a full week. So probably the week of the 6th of July. I'm also very cognizant of the budget constraints that the city is under. And so with respect to working the full month of July, I would leave that to you all and your best discretion as to what you think is most appropriate for your organization. Because I know Jeremy will still be on the books until the end of July. So from a logistical standpoint, if it was preferable that I, in an interim capacity, work less, well, Jeremy is still on the books, that would be fine with me. If selected, my goal would be to be in the city of Dayton relocated at my own expense. On July 31st, I've identified a property and I would be willing to work however much the council felt it was needed. I mean, it seems to me that this is a full-time plus job probably a 24 seven 365 job from what Jeremy has described to me. So, I mean, you know, as an interim, you put in the time and the hours and the effort to get everything done, make sure there aren't any backlogs. I know he's doing gosh, you know, grants and code compliance and permit reviews and you name it. So whatever it takes to get that done, as well as to be able to support the council and the public service levy, efforts, which I know are kind of getting underway. So I'm also available to stay in the position for as long as is needed before you are able to identify a permanent solution. So I don't have any limitations on the extent of my time. I didn't have a prior personal commitment that I made that I would like to be able to honor. And it is from mid-October until mid-November. It would just require me to not be physically here. I could still work, but I would be working remotely. And again, if it isn't feasible, it's not feasible. I just wanted to bring to your attention that it would be my preference to be able to honor that if at all possible, but I also respect The fact that it might not be and that the requirements of this job might not allow that to be doable. Did I get everything? I think so.

Thank you.

Excellent. Did you have any questions for us, Gretchen?

Yes. So I'm going to put the question about success back to you since what do you think success looks like? for this position in 30, 60, and 90 days?

Hopefully, in 30 days, you can assess what's actually happening on the ground with staff and projects. 90 days, I hope you have some inlay into helping staff transition to the next stage. hopefully have helped us get on the trajectory to find a permanent city manager and ideas about what that would entail. By the 90 day mark, I would hope that we would have had some of the projects taken care of and we're onto our election and hopefully getting our money for our police services. That's a big deal here in this community, but those are just, very minor basics quickly off the top of my head.

So do you see the interim playing a role in the recruitment for the permanent?

Yes, that's what I was going to say. I would be really great, Gretchen, if the interim can help recruit and go down that, find out the rules that we need to follow, do all of those things to put all of that together legally and ethically and yeah. Find the right person.

Yeah.

Okay. Do you have something, Kitty?

I think it's been covered. Anything else? You got what I was questioning.

All right. Did Jeremy or Rocio want to ask a question or express anything?

No, no question. I'll say I've had a couple of in-depth conversations with Gretchen that covered a lot of topics. We were able to cover a lot of ground. Excellent.

Right on. Well, I think we're done. How about that? How exciting. How exciting. Was there anything else you'd like to share with us, Gretchen?

No. No, I'm very appreciative of your time. I know you all have had to scramble to pull these together. So I want to give you some of your time back and just express my appreciation again to the council.

Thank you. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Take care.

Hi, Krista.

Hello, nice to see you again. Nice to see you. We're going to introduce ourselves real quick, the council that made it here tonight. And then we'll jump right into the questions. And I'm going to go ahead and start down at this end with Councilor Mackin.

Hi, my name is Kitty Mackin, and this is year 10 for me on council. Nice to meet you.

Hi, Chris, that we've met. So good to see you again.

Hi, I'm Robin Peterson. I have been on the council for a couple of years. Nice to meet you.

Hi, Krista. I'm Chris Tycrow. I've been on council for a little over two years.

Nice to meet you as well. Thank you. All right. Okay, let's get started. What does success look like for you at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks in an interim assignment?

Thank you for the question. I would say, what is it that you expect of me in those 30-, and 60-, and 90-days? What is the timeline for the recruitment? What are the priorities? Following that, I would say at the staff level, I would say after 30 days, I should have a good idea of the day-to-day operations, 60 days implementing that plan for your new city manager and supporting that, whatever that looks like. And hopefully by the 90 day mark, we have plans for bringing somebody on board. You've identified a new city manager, keeping going your levies and supporting staff through the transition.

Thank you. Okay. leadership transitions can create uncertainty among staff. How would you assess organization? I cannot speak today. I've been like this all day. Pardon me. Leadership transitions can create uncertainty among staff. How would you assess organizational morale and build trust with employees during the first few weeks?

Thank you. Um, That is something that I am familiar with, having been on both sides of that. When I was with one of my cities, I was the 11th city manager in 14 years, and there was a lack of trust coming in. But we developed a relationship through staff meetings, through me listening to what it is that their needs are, and then also treating them like humans. I think that sometimes in public service, we lose the humanity. I like to know how my staff are doing, not just professionally and that they have those things, but how are they doing otherwise? They don't have to share, but I started a check-in with that city so that we had 30 minutes of just share your weekend because I felt like what was happening is there was a lot of side conversations that were happening throughout the week. And once we started having that 30-minute check-in, We kind of got all of our bugs out from the weekend and those discussions to where we can move on to the work. Staff morale during change can be very difficult. And then on the other side of that, when we were recruiting at the city of Toledo, having been the executive assistant to the city manager, I felt like there was a lot of decisions that were being held off until the city manager came. And once they identified who that was, there was a sense of relief. But through that process, there was staff feedback in that. So I feel like having, letting them have a voice in, may not be the overall decision, but at least having a voice in what they see in the candidate that they have to work with also helps boost morale.

Thank you. Well, question number three, what is your philosophy and or your priorities? regarding a city budgeting for our library, parks, and public recreation areas?

My priorities are whatever your priorities are. And for me to implement those priorities, you've already passed your budget. So that's great. As far as, I always say that I start with what was the audit like? What was, if there was any findings, is there anything to correct? Is there anything to implement? I always start with budgeting because I feel like that is the backbone of the entire organization. And without true and accurate budgeting and fiscal responsibility, that there cannot be anything else. I know that there are cities that are very behind. Like with the city of Shana Cove right now, the first thing I did was get their past audit filed so that I can know where where to guide me in not only the next budget, but with making recommendations to the council. So as far as those specific budgeting priorities, I would meet with the mayor, find out a little bit about what the upcoming priorities are. And also with the overlap with Jeremy trading, I feel like I would get a better sense of what that is right now. I can't exactly tell you. Thank you.

All right. Can you tell us about a time when you stepped into an organization during a period of change or instability? What were the key challenges and what did you do to stabilize the operation?

Thank you. That has been the entirety of my experience. I call it the mop-up operation. Sometimes you come in and you don't know that it's a mop-up operation until you start digging into some of the nuances of the day-to-day operations. For example, in Lakeside, I did not know it was the mop-up operation that it was. But what I ended up finding was that we were correcting a lot of deficiencies and issues that had been carried over for many years. And I brought a clerk on that used to work there. And I brought her back as she started out as a temporary planning assistant tech person. And she ended up being the clerk and planning. And the reason I brought her on is because the institutional knowledge had left the organization when everybody quit. And we find sometimes staff are tied to their city manager with loyalty and things like that. Hopefully that doesn't happen here. But that is what happened in Lakeside. And so I brought her back. And she helped bring back some of that institutional knowledge, some of the practices and people that there was connections with from years ago. And by the time I left, she was so excited that I was there that it reminded her of the time when she used to work there and things were good. And she even called that old city manager being excited and, um, telling the, telling him about how it's just like you were here and, um, That was probably the best compliment I think I could have gotten. But in that, there was files that were in places that didn't belong. And that's not to say that those things are happening here. It's just sometimes you don't know what you don't know. And it felt like I was just constantly putting out fires. Stabilized things, brought financing back in-house, regular reports to the council, a good steady clerk. got our planning going, got our safety committees going. Yeah, so that's probably the biggest instability challenge that I've been in.

All right. When you enter a new organization as an interim executive, how do you identify which issues require immediate attention And which can wait for the next permanent city manager? Thank you.

I will speak to a couple of different scenarios. One is when I started in Lakeside, the interim had hired a clerk about three weeks later. before I started, I really wish he wouldn't have done that. It wasn't a good fit. It wasn't a good fit for her. Ultimately she, and it wasn't her and I, her and I got along really well. It, it just wasn't a good fit for her and she ended up quitting. So that is one of the things where it's, How long are we talking about the recruitment? How long, you know, is there something that has to be filled? Is it something that we can contract out for a little bit of time? So it takes a little bit of assessment depending on exactly what that is. In Toledo, they were, I was the interim executive assistant and recorder until the new city manager came aboard. So it was like we were just holding on and holding on before we could identify folks that could take that position, there were some other things that were held off so that he was building the team that he wanted. And I respect that as far as identifying you know which things I would assume things like code enforcement wouldn't be something that you would. You know here's your new job and now here's all of your backlog of code enforcement that you have to do so, keeping those day to day operations going. while also understanding that I'm not the permanent person. I'm not going to get comfortable. I'm just, you know, cleaning house or keeping the house warm, the fire going until the person comes to live forever.

Excellent. All right. What unique strengths or experiences do you bring that would help our community navigate this transition period? Thank you.

I will say probably this answer is maybe not a conventional answer, but I didn't come into this type of work conventionally. It's only been a calling from my community that I felt duty bound to step into public service. And my prior experiences have been that of a teen mom the person who's had to use the food bank, the person that has been a caregiver, the person who's been with family, with hospice, who's worked in a hospital, the working families of your community, I identify with in that way and with compassion and with empathy and helping them navigate the transition could mean you know, simply a voice, an outlet, a voice for them to be heard, to hear that, you know, things maybe are unstable. For example, in Shanico, we, almost half of the folks there are using the food bank. One of the first things that I did was call the food bank and I got on a meeting with the director of that region to see if there was any resources that could be provided for the area So I identify with food insecurity very much. And I understand the, you know, when people are struggling, they're not coming to city council. They're not participating in the library committee. They're not participating in, you know, nights out, but also having been a, I was a coordinator for an afterschool program. And what we saw is that kids were coming in for the snacks and they were staying for the snacks, but they also got to have some crafts and things while they were there. But it was because of the food insecurity, why some of them came during lunch and not just after school, and they came on the weekends. And so understanding that the community has very vast needs and understanding that And that's not to say I'm just speaking to us for a specific type right now. You probably have other types of groups that are very influential or even willing to step in and be on those committees, but that isn't everybody. So just providing an outlet for them to make their choices known, make their needs be known. Town halls are great for that. Surveys are great for that. Comments, complaints. and then relaying that to the council. Participating in any of the events where you can see people organically, I think is really important as well. Thank you.

Great, thanks. Okay, how do you view the role of an interim city manager in preparing the organization for a permanent city manager?

Thank you. Again, not getting comfortable. I'm not bringing in the plants and the, you know, setting up shop. It is, I'm just borrowing the space, creating, I always leave an office better than I found it. And that's not to say that there's anything wrong, but there's probably something that I could leave better than how I found it. Just not getting comfortable knowing that the permanent person is coming aboard. So that is my role and to support you in those choices, just as Jeremy is now supporting you and making the right decision for you. And you may not find that person or it may be identifiable really quick. So whatever that looks like and however I can support you is what I'm there for.

All right, last question, and it's a long one. So if appointed, what level of availability could you provide? How long would you be willing to serve? And are there any logistical considerations the council should understand when evaluating the overall cost and feasibility of your appointment? Examples would be like relocating, temporary housing, and transportation.

I would be okay with finding my own housing situation, whether it be a rental for the time being. That probably makes the most sense. I'm available now. I am available to stay in the event that you don't identify a candidate. I'm available to stay as short or as long as you need me. Right now I am volunteering for the city of Shenandoah. They are aware that I am volunteering or excuse me, interviewing. And they took me on knowing that that was the condition is that once I found a paid position that I would have fade into the background. It is something that I would like to keep working on to help them through. if the council so desires. It is not required, if that is okay with you, just in a capacity that they are still needing to file their audit. They have a lot of financials that need to be caught up, and I would like to assist them with that. But I am trying to get them a new person in there, but having only 30 people, that may not be the case. It is not required, though. Other than that, there's no logistics. I don't have... children in school or pets that require me here or any of those things.

Okay, thank you. Thank you. Would Rocio or Jeremy have any questions that they would like to post?

No, no questions. Kristen and I have spoke quite a bit on the phone and covered a lot of ground, so I don't have any other questions for her. She may have some questions for us.

Yeah, do you have any questions for us, Krista?

I do have a question, and may I offer one more bit of information? Yes, please. I just wanted to be clear that I'm not afraid of... boots on the ground, getting out if there's storm drains to go look at, trees to go look at, or code enforcement to do. I am happy to do those things. I have gone to the homeless camps and cleared those out of city property and things like that. So please don't let the attire dissuade you to think that I don't get my hands dirty. My question is this, what are you looking for in an interim?

I answered the last time. Would somebody else like to answer?

I guess we would like, well, boots on the ground is great, but also helping us with holding it together, but helping us recruit and move on, find the next person, work us through that system so that we can move along quickly in that way. I appreciate all of your comments about relationship. And I think it seems like in your very first answer, you were talking about supporting the levy and helping us find candidates. And I feel like you nailed it. That's a really important thing to me.

Did anybody else?

Thank you.

Actually, I would like to ask you about your time in Toledo. I got a chance to get to know Frank Sylvia. So were you around when he was in that accident? Sounds to me like Toledo really stepped up, made some structural changes to keep him involved. I'm not sure if you can see, but I use a three wheel scooter wheelchair. So I was impressed with what I heard from Frank about the city and how they went back for him. we have some ADA issues around here that could be addressed. So from my perspective, um, I am, I would be happy to see you.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak to that. Um, I wasn't there for that. However, we did make accommodations in Toledo for counselor Sylvia and actually, um, counselor you and I have met at a conference, but, um, You probably don't remember me and that's okay. So I'm aware that you buzz around in the chair in quite a light at that, but we did make some comments some changes to how he was able to get in and out of the, the meeting chair with a ramp system. Um, it was the bottom floor was already ADA accessible. Um, that is another thing that I, when I was in Lakeside, making sure that we had hearing impaired devices, um, making sure that the sound system works really well so that people could plug in with those hearing devices. Um, And as far as I would say that the folks always made sure that if he needed help with his wheelchair, that they were there to do that. Everybody was really great. So and he was great to work with as well. We had some good conversations.

Thank you for that.

And I also do have a letter of recommendation from Mayor Cross when I left Toledo, if you would like me to share that as well.

Excellent.

Maybe you can forward that to Jeremy for us. Okay. Excellent. Thank you. I think we have covered everything. Does anybody have any parting comments or anything?

Thank you for applying.

All right. Thank you, Krista, very much. We appreciate you. Nice to meet you. Thank you.

Nice to meet you. Thank you very much for your time tonight. Thank you, Jeremy. Thank you.

Bye.